I want to purchase a camera that I can use in a number of settings (out in nature, indoors, etc.) to take photographs of a high quality. I care about clarity and a good representation of color. I also want to be able to take simple point-and-click snapshots once I have configured the settings correctly. However, I will be taking mostly casual photos; I am an amateur.

I see a lot of people with Nikon or Canon cameras with big lenses and great customisability taking the sorts of pictures I want to take. Are there any recommendations for what Camera I should purchase? I'd like to stay under $300.

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mattdmApr 17 '13 at 15:37

Then you'd want to put words "Camera reviews" in the search field in Google. Do not exclude the models that are outside your budget, because you might find your favourite camera inside your budget from a second-hand store. Also note that review sites often list the price of the camera for what it was when the camera model was just released, and prices may have dropped with time after the release. For just one example, Olympus Pen E-PL1 is a three year old model with decent image quality and you might find it in used camera sales well inside your budget.